Irondequoit — On February 19, the Genesee Valley Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) announced that Town of Irondequoit employee and CSEA member Joe Lobene received the 2020 Douglas C. Zefting Public Service Award. Photo provided.
Irondequoit — On February 19, the Genesee Valley Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) announced Town of Irondequoit employee and CSEA member Joe Lobene received the 2020 Douglas C. Zefting Public Service Award. Lobene has been a member of CSEA since 1989 and has also served as an elected officer of his bargaining unit.
The award recognizes outstanding public service and achievement of an operational or maintenance level employee of a public works agency.
Nominated candidates must be employed on a full-time basis by any state, county, city, village or town and shall have a minimum of ten years of public service experience. The award is named in honor of Douglas C. Zefting, P.E., a former City of Rochester Engineer.
Lobene, who is a Labor Forman, said he was beyond humbled to receive this recognition. Lobene was nominated by the Town of Irondequoit Commissioner of Public Works, Bob Kiley.
Kiley said, “Not long ago, it became apparent to me Joe Lobene embodied the spirit and nobility of this award. It is well known the Town of Irondequoit is very ambitious with the number of projects we manage all at once, and Lobene has proven to be an exceptional employee—he always delivers positive results. Whether it’s organizing a food drive for deserving families, stepping up to facilitate COVID testing and mask distribution efforts, he has shown remarkable compassion and ability to go above and beyond. Moreover, Joe oversaw and supervised our Stormwater Drainage District and is an integral player in representing us on the Stormwater Coalition of Monroe County. He also manages our sign shop, town sidewalk plowing operations and basin reconstructive efforts. If that isn’t enough, Joe has logged years of perfect attendance and has given back vacation hours. He is a true public servant and so deserving of this award.”
Dave Seeley, Town of Irondequoit Supervisor, said, “We take great pride in the work that our Town employees do for our community every day, and we are proud to share the news that Labor Foreman Joe Lobene has been duly recognized. This award illustrates Joe’s outstanding record of public service to the Town of Irondequoit. We congratulate him and thank him for his many years of service.”
-Ove Overmyer
